Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has
written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who
challenges the injustice of the adult world – a triumph of imagination and
storytelling.

It is 1970 in a
small town in California.“Bean”
Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother,
Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,”
takes off to find herself, leaving the girls enough money to last a month or
two.When Bean returns from school one
day and see a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus
to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s
been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous
optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about
why their mother left Virginia in the first place.Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start
babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, a foreman of the mill in
town – a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his
wife.Bean adores her whip-smart older
sister – inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist.But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean
who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly
withdrawn.And then something happens to
Liz.

Jeannette Walls,
supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel
about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other
and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.

My Review:

Twelve-year-old,
Bean and fifteen-year-old, Liz live in Lost Lake, a little town in the Colorado
Desert of Southern California where they’ve lived for the past four
months.Their mother, Charlotte had been
gone now for four days off in Los Angeles auditioning for a job as a back-up
singer.The girls were used to being on
their own as their mother often was away, her career took up a sizable amount of
her time.Liz being the older of the two
girls was in charge but Bean didn’t mind one bit as she was the type of girl who
didn’t want to be babied.

When their mother
was away, all they ever ate was chicken pot pies.Bean didn’t mind because she loved the
difference between the crusty crust on the outside and the warm goopy filling
on the inside.And, Liz said if you had
a glass of milk with one then you were getting all four food groups – meat,
vegetables, grain, and dairy.

Their mother
finally arrived home telling the girl she met a man named, Mark Parker who told
her she never got any jobs as a back-up singer because her voice was so
distinctive that she was upstaging the stars.At age thirty-six she had never yet had a gig or made a recording, but
Mark said he was going to “jump-start” her career.Since she’d never had a job, they lived on
her inheritance but they were on a tight budget as the money was running
low.However, it didn’t take long for,
Bean to figure out that her mother way lying.She had made up the whole Mark Parker scenario and when Bean confronted
her, Charlotte began yelling and spewing all sorts of hurtful comments,
including telling, Bean that she was sorry she’d ever had her, that she was a
mistake.She then picked up her purse
and sped away in her car.

The girls had been
waiting for, Charlotte to return but she didn’t, instead they received a letter
in the mail containing two-hundred dollars and a note telling them she needed “space”
for herself.After two weeks money was
running short so Liz did some babysitting and Bean delivered a newspaper.They continued to buy their chicken pot pies.

Liz and Bean began
to worry about CPS or some other agency getting involved and putting them in
foster care.Charlotte had originally
come from a small town in Virginia called, Byler where her father had owned a
cotton mill.Their Mom’s brother, Uncle
Tinsley still lived in Byler in a big old house called, Mayfield.

One day, Bean
arrived home from school to find cop cars outside the house and a cop looking
through the window.She turned around
and ran all the way to Liz’s high school and waited for her to come out.Liz decided they had better head to Virginia
right away.She always carried their money
in the lining of her shoe so the two girls ran off to the bus depot and bought
two cross-country tickets.They were on
their way and on the adventure of their lives.

The Silver Star, pulled me in from the
very first page and I didn’t quit until I’d turned the last.It was a fast-paced, easy to read story that
kept my attention through every single word.I read the book in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down.The only negative I have about this book is
that it ended way too abruptly.I was
reading along, turned the page to read more but there wasn’t anymore, it was
the end of the story.I felt as though
the book didn’t end properly.Other than
that, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, Jeannette Walls certainly
has a very creative imagination and writes an entertaining novel.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

How long can two
people stand on the brink of love without plunging in headfirst?

In the autumn of
1941, rumors of war whisper through Rosey Corner.The town practically vibrates with
apprehension, as if it is holding its breath.But for Kate Merritt, it seems life is letting out a prolonged
sigh.As Kate watches her sister marry
the man Kate has loved since she was fifteen, her heart is silently
breaking.And even the attentions of Jay
Tanner, the handsome best man, can’t draw her interest.

Then suddenly,
Pearl Harbor changes everything and Kate finds herself drawn to Jay in
surprising ways.Could she truly be in
love with him?And if he enlists, will
she ever see him again?

In her gentle and
textured style, Ann H. Gabhart tells a timeless story of love, sacrifice and
longing that will grip your heart and stir your spirit.Fans of Gabhart’s Angel Sister will love
seeing Kate Merritt all grown-up, as well as other characters they have come to
love.

My Review:

This was a
beautiful story.I felt so sorry for Jay
Tanner.He had no family and felt like
such a worthless human being.He had
come to Rosey Corner to be best man at his friend, Mike’s wedding.Mike was a preacher and for a long time tried
toget Jay interested in hearing God’s
word and attending church but he hadn’t been very successful.

Kate Merritt had
loved Mike since she was a young girl but today she would stand and watch her
sister, Evie marry the man she always dreamed of marrying.At the time, Kate was dating Carl but he didn’t
love him although he loved her dearly and wanted to marry her.Most people referred to him as the “hayseed.”

Jay Tanner took an
immediate liking to Kate and soon they were dating but when an accident occurred
that left Jay smelling like a distillery, Kate thought he been drinking and was
drunk when in fact he wasn’t.After
going through years of her own father’s drinking she wasn’t prepared to date or
marry a man who a drinker and slammed the door in Jay’s face before giving him
a chance to explain.She walked away
from the relationship leaving poor Jay feeling even more worthless as a human
being and believing he could never do anything right.

Then the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor and the war was on.Jay left Rosey Corner without saying good-bye to anyone as he felt he
had no one left to say good-bye too and enlisted in the army.Now he was stationed in Georgia training as a
paratrooper.

Kate was still at
home in Rosey Corner feeling sad and lonely and missing Jay very much.She kept questioning herself but not giving
Jay a chance to explain himself the night he was drunk.After many discussions with her sisters, her
Mom and her Dad, she decided to drive three states away and surprise Jay with a
visit, hoping beyond hope that he would forgive her and allow them to start
over.

Does she even find
Jay when she arrives or has his ship already sailed?When she finally does locate him, will he
take her back or is he too disgusted and feeling too worthless to take a second
chance?

Small Town Girl was a wonderful story and my heart just bled
for Jay.I wanted to wrap my arms around
the poor guy and tell him that I cared about him and would write to him when he
went into the army.Ann H. Gabhart
always pens a phenomenal story!

“Book has been
provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications,
Inc.

Available at your
favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker PublishingGroup.”

Monday, June 24, 2013

There was no way
Dann and Tracey Stadler could avoid the drunk driver speeding toward them.Moments later, with Tracey trapped in their
burning car, a lone figure walked out of the nearby woods and saved her from
certain death.Seconds later, he was
gone.But the disappearance of this
stranger was not the end of God’s tangible intervention in their lives.

As the Stadler’s
struggled through grueling recoveries and heartbreaking setbacks – even years
after that fateful crash – the miracles and divine encounters continued.For the first time, the Stadlers share these
incredible moments, offering an inspiring testimony to anyone enduring
heartache and loss.

If you are facing
hard times – if you need assurance that God still ministers through His angels
today – let this true story provide the hope and encouragement you need.

My Review:

I think the above
description does a very good job of describing this wonderful true story.I will, however add that I marvel at the
utter strength and courage that both Tracey and Dann showed in the face of such
adversity.The injuries they both
sustained should have killed them both and the fact that they both survived is
a true testament to the miracles that God provides today.Through utter faith and prayer, God
intervened in the lives of Tracey and Dann through his angels and gave them the
fortitude to face the most grueling test of their lives.

Angels in the Fire was a quick read and
one I just couldn’t put down.Please
don’t miss this one.

I live in a world
without magic or miracles.A place where
there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to
save you.A place where people die and
music disintegrates and things suck.I
am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I
wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Two and a half
years after an unspeakable tragedy left her a shadow of the girl she once was,
Nastya Kashnikov moves to a new town determined to keep her dark past hidden
and hold everyone at a distance.But her
plans only last so long before she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the one
person as isolated as herself, Josh Bennett.

Josh’s story is no
secret.Every person he loves has been
taken from his life until, at seventeen-years-old, there is no one left.When you name is synonymous with death, everyone
tends to give you your space.Everyone
except Nastya who won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every
aspect of his life.But as the
undeniable pull between them intensifies, he starts to wonder if he will ever
learn the secrets she’s been hiding – or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich,
intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally
fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

My Review:

The Sea of Tranquility was a riveting,
intense, powerful, and well-written story.

Nastya Kashnikov
was once a beautiful piano player until an unspeakable crime happened to her
and changed her forever.She became very
withdrawn, quiet, and extremely fragile.She dressed in black and far out clothing and kept to herself at school
knowing that she was talked about.She
had her parent’s home where the crime had taken place and moved to another town
to live with her aunt to give her time to think and sort out her life.She liked living with her aunt as she worked
nights and Nastya attended school during the day so they were like ships
passing in the night which gave Nastya time alone to herself.

Nastya loved to
run, and run she did for miles and miles and miles.She could think clearly and clear her head
when she ran.One night while running
she passed by Josh Bennett’s home and his garage door was open and he was
inside working.Nastya knew of Josh from
school.She decided to stop and entered
the garage but didn’t say anything.Josh
just let her be and allowed her to stay and watch while he built the furniture
he was making.

Josh lived alone
now as every single person in his family had passed away.His mother, his father, and his
grandparents.He had tons of money but
no one knew that about him.He attended
school then came home and built beautiful pieces of furniture in his
garage.Josh was as lonely as Nastya was
fragile.

Nastya began to
make visiting Josh in his garage a nightly thing and little by little they
became friends and began to talk, however Nastya never revealed to Josh what
had happened to her but he knew “something” terrible had occurred but never
asked her about it.He figured if she
wanted him to know she’d tell him and he himself wasn’t sure he even wanted to
know.

The story centers
on their relationship and how each of them comes to some realizations that yet
again changes them both.It was the most
powerful story I’ve read in a long time and would highly recommend it to anyone.I would also recommend it for book clubs as
there are a lot of topics that could be discussed from this novel.I’m keeping this one in my permanent
collection.I won’t forget The Sea of Tranquility for a long
time.

Monday, June 17, 2013

And if it gets
out, you’re dead.On May 30, 1593, a
celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London.That, at least, was the official
version.Now Christopher Marlowe reveals
the truth: that his “death” was an elaborate ruse to avoid a conviction of
heresy, that he was spirited across the English Channel to live on in lonely
exile; that he continue to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a
colorless man from Stratford – on William Shakespeare.

With the grip of a
thriller and the emotional force of a sonnet, this remarkable novel in verse
gives voice to a man who was brilliant, passionate, and mercurial.A cobbler’s son who counted nobles among his
friends, a spy in the Queen’s service, a fickle lover and a declared religious
skeptic,Christopher Marlowe always
courted trouble.Memoir, love letter,
confession, and settling of accounts, “The
Marlowe Papers” brings Christopher Marlowe and his era to vivid life.

My Review:

As we know, on May
30, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in
London.That was the “official” version
of the story, however.The “real truth”
is that Christopher Marlowe’s death was an elaborate ruse to avoid his being
hanged for heresy.He was then taken
across the channel to live a long, lonely exile, all the while longing for his
true love and pining for the damp streets of London.He continued to write plays and poetry hiding
behind the name of a colorless man from Stratford named William Shakespeare.

Although I loved
the entire story, I was a bit put out by it being written in verse.I understand the reasons for penning the book
in this way but think I would have found it more enjoyable had it not been
written in verse.I’m not at all saying
the book was unreadable, I just felt very uncomfortable with this style of
writing.I am going to give it a second
read to see if I can come to accept it more the second time around.

Thank you to
Hachette UK Canada for sending me the book which I won in their contest.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

A magical debut novel
about an enchanted house that offers refuge to women in their time of
need.

Distraught that
her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge,
England, when she finds herself in front of a house she’s never seen before, 11
Hope Street.A beautiful older woman
named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the house’s usual
conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around.With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a
chance and moves in.

She soon discovers
that this is no ordinary house.Past
residents have included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who, after receiving
the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomers literally, in talking
portraits on the wall.As she escapes
into this new world, Alba begins a journey that will heal her wounds and maybe
even save her life.

Filled with colourful
and unforgettable cast of literary figures, The
House at the End of Hope Street is a charming, whimsical novel of hope and
feminine wisdom that is sure to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde and especially
Sarah Addison Allen.

My Review:

A magical book, an
enchanted house, a cast of characters who previously lived there but remain on
the walls in photographs to be talked to whenever the desire strikes you.Florence Nightingale, Agatha Christie and Sylvia
Plath to name a few.This whimsical
house lives and breathes, the walls moving in and out like a heartbeat, the
lampshades bowing to get a closer look at you.The mysterious and magical 82-year-old Peggy who runs 11 Hope Street is
a kind and wise woman.

Fans of Sarah
Addison Allen will love this novel.I
put it in the same category as Allen’s novel and the book Night Circus.A beautifully written, happy, magical story
that is a very rare treat!A book you
won’t want to see end.Alba, Carmen,
Greer, Stella and Peggy are characters I won’t soon forget. They are all there for different reasons and
the house knows exactly what each woman needs.

I lived at 11 Hope
Street from the time I read the first chapter.I couldn’t have forced myself to leave even if I had wanted to.I loved the happiness, the love, the caring
and the warmth the house enveloped me in.The house knows what you need.You may think you need one thing but the house won’t give it to you
unless you really do need it.It’s the
house that decides and does and provides you with what you truly and sincerely
need in your life.

I will be keeping
this as part of my permanent collection and am going to read it again before
Iput it away on my shelf for a while,
that’s how much I enjoyed this book and I know you will too.I highly, highly recommend this book for
everyone.If I could rate it at a one
thousand, I would!For a debut novel,
this is an unbelievable story, a story you’ll absolutely fall in love with.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

In The Wishing Tree, Ivy Marshall, a savvy,
determined woman, finds out her husband has cheated on her on the same day her
sister’s perfect boyfriend proposes on national television.When Ivy’s mother asks her to return to her
family’s beach home to plan her sister’s upcoming wedding, she decides to use
the excuse to escape from the pain of her circumstances.When her return to Sunset Beach, North
Carolina, brings her face to face with her former fiancé, old feelings rise to
the surface and she wonders if there is a future for them.However, her husband has started tweeting his
apology to her and doesn’t want to give up on their marriage.As she helps prepare the wishing tree for her
sister’s wedding, she must examine her own wishes for the future and decide
what love should be.

My Review:

Ivy Marshall
worked for her father, Simon in one of his commercial real estate offices.He was on the phone telling Ivy that he was
going to have to close their Asheville office, the very one she’s worked in for
four years.Great, now she was going to
be without a job.However, she really
wasn’t all that surprised because she’d just told her husband, Elliot last
night during dinner.The good thing was
that it would take about two months to close the office down so they’d have
time to wrap up recent projects and give employees time to find other
jobs.The bad thing was that she and
Elliot wouldn’t be able to keep their house without her income.

Lately, Ivy and
Elliot haven’t communicated much, mostly about what food items needed to be
replenished or what bills needed to be paid.She wasn’t worried about telling him she was losing her job as that fell
under the category of “business” and that’s the only thing they seemed to talk
about – nothing personal.

Margot, Ivy’s
mother called just as she was leaving the office.After the day she’d had she just wanted to go
home and take a hot bath.Her emotions
were just a tad unstable, but now Margot was adding to her already emotionally
charged psyche by telling her that her sister, Shea was going to be proposed to
on national television tomorrow.Margot
want Ivy to come home for the weekend to congratulate her sister in person but
that’s the last thing Ivy felt like doing.Since tomorrow was Valentine’s Day she could just tell her mother she
didn’t want to leave Elliot alone on Valentine’s Day weekend.The last time Ivy had spoken to Shea was
three months ago, their relationship was somewhat strained so Ivy wasn’t all
that excited about her sister’s engagement because she was going to have the
wedding she never had – at Sunset Beach.

The following day
didn’t pan out so well for Ivy either.After having to sit through the nationally televised proposal to her
sister, she also found out that Elliot had cheated on her!What else could go wrong in this poor woman’s
life?Ivy wasn’t in the mood for talking
with Elliot and thought about what she could do.Then it dawn on her, she would go home to
Sunset Beach, North Carolina and help finish up planning Shea’s wedding.Although it was already May and the wedding
was set for mid-June, there would still be lots to do.She could also help her Aunt Leah out in her
shop – Seaside Bakery.And, by going
home and helping with the wedding, she wouldn’t have to tell her family about
her and Elliot’s crumbling marriage.They all new she was out of a job and had the time to help.She might even be able to see he ex-fiance ,
Michael and who knows what might strike up with him.

Ivy drove home and
went immediately to her bedroom and retrieved the suitcase.As she was packing she heard Elliot come into
the room but Ivy so not wanted to talk to him.Of course he apologized for his transgression and said he still wanted
to make it work but Ivy said nothing.When he asked where she was going she only replied: “home.”Elliot carried her suitcase to the car and
Ivy drove off without a good-bye.

Seeing Shea for
the first time was a tad awkward, but like the two adults they are now they
were amicable toward each other.Margot
immediately pulled out her wedding binder that she’d made and decided the three
of them needed to divvy up the remaining items on the list.Ivy has been put in charge of The Wishing
Tree which involves mailing out tags to each wedding guest to write down ‘wishes’
for the newly married couple.Then Ivy
is to ensure that all those wishes get hung on the tree for the Bride and Groom
to read later.It’s been a tradition in
their family for a long time.But as Ivy
helps ready the tree for Shea’s wedding she must look deep within herself at
her own future and what she believes true love should be.Can she reconcile with what Elliot has
done?Is she too wrapped up in thinking
about her ex, Michael?Or, will she
decide true love is loving herself first and remain on her own?

The Wishing Tree is definitely a book
about forgiveness.It’s also a
beautifully written story of love, loss, betrayal, hope, grace, and finding one’s
way back from the brink.You can’t allow
bitterness and situations already washed under the bridge to affect the here
and now or your future.Everyone
deserves forgiveness and true grace.We’re
not perfect people but when it comes from a place of faith and a deep
understanding of your true heart’s desire, then you need to accept what
is.

Marybeth Whalen
has penned a most gorgeous read.The Wishing Tree gracefully unravels how
tradition, culture and sense of place affect the human heart.Well-done!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Conceived in love
and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didn’t make a peep when he was born, and the
doctor nearly took him for dead.No one
knows that Bonaventure’s silence is filled with resonance – a miraculous gift
of rarified hearing that encompasses the Universe of Every Single Sound.Growing up in the big house on Christopher
Street in Bayou Cymbaline, Bonaventure can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades
of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops.He can also hear the gentle voice of his
father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious
stranger known only as the Wanderer.

Bonaventure’s
remarkable gift of listening promises salvation to the souls who love him: his
beautiful young mother, Dancy haunted by the death of her husband; his
Grand-mere Letice, plagued by grief and a long-buried guilt she locks away in a
chapel; and his father, William, who’s roaming spirit must fix the wreckage of
the past.With the help of Trinidad
Prefontaine, a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts,
Bonaventure will find the key to long-buried mysteries and soothe a chorus of
family secrets clamoring to be healed.

My Review:

Well, this is the
second time today I’ve posted a book that I didn’t like.This one I tried to read many, many times,
trying hard to convince myself that I was thoroughly enjoying the story.But the sad truth was, I wasn’t, at all.Just something about this story struck me as
silly and uninteresting which came as a great disappointment to me as I’d heard
so much hype about this novel.People
were raving about it, I had friends telling me about it, but sadly, I just didn’t
like it at all.

Not much else to
say on the matter I suppose.I know a
lot of people did enjoy it so that’s a plus.

It is 1644, and
Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of
York.Even as the city suffers at the
rebel’s hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of
rebellion.One of Bridget’s friends,
Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be
burnt alive.Convinced that her friend
is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.

Bridget joins
forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than
any respectable woman ought to be.To
save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a
murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop
at nothing to cover his tracks.The
investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most
powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods.As they delve into the life of Esther’s
murdered husband they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply
sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in
hand.

My Review:

Okay, so I’ve had
this book now for six months since it came out in January.I have attempted to read it twice each month
since that time and just cannot get into it at all.I even selected different locations inside
and outside the house to sit and read to see if it would somehow make a
difference but it was all to no avail.

I don’t think it’s
a bad book in any way it’s just not a book that I was interested in.Hopefully, someone else out there might appreciate
it more than I did.

Emmalyne Knox and
Tavin McLachlan were destined to be together…until the tragic deaths of Emmalyne’s
youngest sisters.Family tradition
mandates that the youngest daughter should remain single to care for her
parents in their old age, and now that daughter is Emmalyne.Her father unyielding, Emmalyne surrenders to
her duty, heartbroken.Tavin leaves
town, equally devastated.

Years later,
Emmalyne’s family moves, and she and Tavin meet again.Their feelings for each other are as strong
as ever, but their painful past and Emmalyne’s father still stand between
them.Soon both families are in the
midst of the growing conflict rising between the workers at the granite quarry
that Tavin’s father owns and operates.When a series of near-fatal accidents occur, Tavin must figure out who
is behind the attacks before someone gets killed.

Bound by
obligation, yet yearning for a future together, can Emmalyne and Tavin dare to
dream that God could heal a decade-long wound and change the hearts of those
who would stand in the way of true love?

My Review:

It is April of
1886 and, Emmalyne Knox, seventeen-years-old and engaged to marry Tavin MacLachlan
in just two months stood at the side of the two graves.Her two younger sisters, Doreen aged fourteen
and, Lorna aged ten had been killed in a tornado.Along with the loss of her two sisters, was
the loss of their family home.The house
was now nothing but a pile of wood.

Her mother, Rowena
and father, Luthias shook hands with other mourners who had come to pay their
respects.Her father’s anger was evident
to everyone present.Emmalyne’s younger
brother, Angus just barely twelve-years-old stood with his family not knowing
what to do.Luthias was a harsh and
angry man and Emmalyne had grown up fearing him.She had never witnessed or received
gentleness or kindness from her father, and she seriously doubted he was
capable of either.

The MacLachlan
family had been gracious enough to allow the Knox family to stay with them
after the tornado.After all, they were
just about family anyway with Emmalyne and Tavin getting married.Everyone was returning to their carriages as
the grave diggers began throwing dirt atop the small caskets they had just
lowered into the ground.

Tavin spoke up to
say he was going to walk Emmalyne back to his house when her father, Luthias
interrupted and told him: “No, you won’t be doin that.”He then proclaimed: “We’re movin to
Minneapolis.”Mrs. MacLaclan piped right
up away and responded: “But surely nae until after the wedding…tis but a few
weeks away.”Luthias replied: “There
will be no weddin.”Emmalyne was stunned
and Tavin asked: “What are you saying sir?”Luthias said: “I’m sayin the weddin is off.Emmalyne has a responsibility to her own
family.With her younger sisters dead
and her older sisters married, it falls to her to remain and care for her
mother and me.”

Emmalyne had
forgotten all about the TRADITION!With
her two youngest sisters dead, that now made HER the youngest daughter, and in
the Knox family lineage that made her responsible to give up a life of her own
to care for her aging parents.It had
been done that way for generations.So,
there definitely would be no wedding.Emmalyne fought back tears and nausea as everything she planned fell to
pieces in front of her.The tornado had
not only taken the lives of her sisters and destroyed their home; it had cost
Emmalyne her future.

Tavin tried to
convince Emmalyne to elope that very night before her family left for
Minneapolis in the morning, but Emmalyne said she just couldn’t go against her
father’s word or the word of God.Tavin
was upset and angry and told her: “Your days will be long…and no doubt very
lonely” and he stormed out of the room without another word.Emmalyne cried and didn’t know what was
worse, her father’s anger, God’s judgment, or Tavin’s wrath and
disappointment.Somewhere in the middle
of all this were the shattered remains of her heart.

It would be eleven
years, in 1897 before Emmalyne would see Tavin again.She was now twenty-eight-years-old yet her
broken heart had never really healed, no matter the amount of time she spent in
prayer or reading God’s word.Misery and
suffering were her only companions.

Will Emmalyne and
Tavin pick up where they left off, or has Tavin already moved on and
married?

The Quarryman’s Daughter was a beautiful
love story and showed the power of prayer and if we put our faith in God,
together we can move mountains.

I would like to
thank Baker House Publishing for sending me a copy of this book.The opinions expressed above are purely my
own and I received no remuneration for my review.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

“Life is not lived
in the long, downhill stretches of expressways, but in the obscure, perilous
trails and back roads where we stumble and feel our way through the fog of our
unknowing.Life is not a run.It is just one step of faith after another.”

Alan Christoffersen
lost his heart when his wife was killed in an accident almost one year
ago.He lost his trust when his business
partner stole his advertising business.He lost his home when the bank took his house.So Alan decided to leave his painful memories
behind and walk from Seattle to the farthest point on the map, Key West, but in
St. Louis, he is forced to stop.

Because his severe
vertigo is diagnosed as the side effect of a brain tumor, Alan must go to Los
Angeles for treatment.He is surrounded
by those who care most for him: his father, who is happy to have Alan back in his
childhood home; Falene, who has been by his side through his most difficult
times; and Nicole, who helped him recover from a mugging in Spokane.One by one, Alan alienates them all, and he
resumes his journey in angry loneliness.The people he meets as he walks the dusty southern back roads has
lessons to teach Alan about accepting love.He just has to have faith that life can be worth living again – and that
the woman he rejected will be willing to forgive him.

My Review:

A Step of Faith is a beautiful treasure
to behold.The continuing story of Alan’s
walk from Seattle to Key West, Florida is filled with beautiful imagery,
historical facts, and wonderful people.However, Alan finds himself in a couple of rather precarious and
downright frightening situations in this fourth novel of the series.

Alan, back in
California for brain surgery, ends up alienating everyone who has rallied around
him to support him during this terrible time.He closes himself off and gives the impression he doesn’t care and
everyone walks away thinking that is what he wants.Alan has a lot to learn from the folks he
meets on this particular part of his journey.One of the two women is deeply in love with Alan and is disappointed and
heartbroken over his behaviour and pens him a long letter.I just hope she eventually forgives her
because Alan needs her.

I so didn’t want
this book to end and when it did I was wishing it was May 2014 so I’d have the
next installment.Richard’s books are
always so well-written that it’s literally impossible to pace yourself in order
to make the book last longer.Each time
I pick up one of his novels I know I’m in for a rare treat.

A Step of Faith is a marvelous story and
a completely joyful read.Thank you,
Richard!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Dana met Brent and
Ashley when she first arrived in town, a scared runaway with nowhere to
go.The three of them are like family:
they take care of each other; they share the money they beg, borrow, and steal;
and they protect each other from the more ruthless street people they come
upon.Still, life is lived day-to-day.It’s hard to think about tomorrow when you’ve
got no money, no food, and no place to live.And as for the past…well, that’s what they ran away from.It’s what all of them – and especially Dana –
are trying hard to forget.

Eric Walter’s new
novel is a gritty, gripping tale of street kids, an unblinking portrait of what
it means to live on the streets and, more importantly, what it takes to find
the way off.

My Review:

Dana, Ashley, and
Brent were panhandling for money near the subway station.So far, Dana had $11.00; Ashley had $5.00;
and Brent had less than $2.00.The three
of them were street kids and homeless.Dana had only been on the streets for three weeks after running away
from home.Home for Dana was 30 miles
away and she wouldn’t return there as long as her stepfather lived in the
home.Dana had gone to the bank machine
to get $40.00 to buy some breakfast but when she returned later she couldn’t
access her account.Her stepfather had
her card cut-off which ticked her to no end because she had $600.00 in babysitting
money in her account and she couldn’t get at it.She admitted that she didn’t see her
stepfather pulling that stunt but then thought that was his way of gaining
control.

When she first met
Ashley, Dana was a little afraid but once they chatted for a while she realized
she was cool.Then, Ashley introduced,
Dana to, Brent and they became a family.Protecting each other against everything on the rough and tumble
streets.Dana was pretty nervous at
first wondering if she could trust them, but really what choice did she
have.It was more scary to be alone than
to trust those two, so she swallowed her fear.

The three of them
ended up with enough money to rent a cheap motel for the night for $25.00 and
still had $32.00 for breakfast and cigarettes.Dana was so looking forward to sleeping in a bed and being able to have a
shower so she could wash her hair it had been two weeks since she’d last washed
it.

While, Dana was
showering she thought about her 10-year-old sister, Candice.She missed her a lot.She knew she would be confused by Dana’s
running away and wishes she could have explained everything to her, but she
couldn’t and she wouldn’t.She couldn’t
tell anyone.Next thing she knew she was
crying and the crying turned to sobbing.Dana slid down the wall of the shower and sat on the wet bottom thinking
about her sister, her mother, her friends, her school, and her room.She missed every one of them.Then she thought about her stepfather and the
sobbing stopped and was replaced instead by rage and anger.

Dana was under an
over-pass spray painting some art on the grey concrete wall when a man in his
30’s approached her and told her he liked her artwork.He had seen it from the train he was riding in
across the way.Dana was leery of this
guy but after a conversation about Picasso and his art she let her guard down a
bit.The guy asked her how long it was
going to take her to complete the piece she was working on as he wanted to
return later to take some pictures of it.Dana was stunned.Before leaving,
the man gave her his business card and told her his name was, Robert Erickson
and he worked at a drop-in centre where they made art supplies available to
street kids.Robert told her it was a
place where she could get things like paint and canvas, or clay and a potter’s
wheel, so she could use her talent.He
told her to ask around on the street and she’d quickly learn that the place was
legit.With that said, Robert walked
away.The name of the drop-in centre was
‘Sketches.’

Sketches is where
Dana eventually ends up and finds a lot more than she ever dreamed
possible.It became a home away from
home and the people who worked there were incredibly helpful.Who knows, maybe it was possible to get off
the streets.

Sketches is a wonderfully written novel
and shows the hardships that kids go through when living on the streets.There is always something to worry about;
money, clean clothing; a place to sleep; and finding food.Eric Walter’s will open a few eyes with this
one and will hopefully prevent a few kids from leaving home for the streets and
hopefully decided to go another route like through a guidance counsellor at
school or a clergyperson for help.Well-done!

WELCOME

Welcome to my little part of the web! The Book BagLady (that's me), reviews books for you! I like all types of genres: fiction, non-fiction, literature, women's novels, light romance, memoirs, biographies and autobiographies. The only type of books you won't see me review are: sci-fi; werewolf/vampire type novels; westerns; and heavy romance.
There is nothing better than spending a lazy day with a good book and a nice hot cup of tea!
I always try to be fair when reviewing books and though I particularly might not be too fond of one, it doesn't mean you won't like it.
Hope you'll have a gander at my book reviews and leave me a comment anytime you feel inspired to do so. Looking forward to meeting you all!
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